Japan 0, England 2
Manchester City’s Ellen White scored twice against luckless Japan to help England top their Women’s World Cup group with a 2-0 win.
Embed from Getty ImagesShe became only the fourth different Englishwoman to score a brace in a World Cup match as England laboured until the 84th minute to double their lead and Japan wasted chance after chance late on.
White and Stanway were also denied goals by Japan goalkeeper Ayita Yamashita while Kumi Yokoyama twice tested Karen Bardsley with long range shots and substitute Yiuka Sugasawa blew four great chances to equalise after coming on as a late substitute.
Four years after suffering a World Cup exit at the semi final stage to Japan, England had already qualified from their World Cup group and required just a draw against them to go through as group winners.
England coach Phil Neville made eight changes from the side that beat Argentina with Jill Scott, Lucy Bronze and captain Steph Houghton the only ones to keep their places in the side.
But despite the win, he will have been concerned again at the holes that appeared in England’s shape in the second half with Keira Walsh struggling to cope with the technical Japanese players in midfield.
Toni Duggan and Demi Stokes returned from injury to make their first appearances in this World Cup.
Millie Bright returned from her own injury lay off to partner Houghton in defence while Ellen White and Rachel Daly joined Duggan upfront with Karen Bardsley replacing Carly Telford in goal.
Scott, Walsh, and Georgia Stanway – making her first World Cup start – comprised a Manchester City-centre midfield as England started patiently against the Japanese.
Kumi Yokoyama had an early shot float over the bar after Emi Nakajima found some space as Japan aimed to top the group themselves despite a decent start for England.
Yokoyama also had a 35 yard free kick touched onto the bar by Bardsley with less than 9 minutes played.
But England were soon in the lead after Stanway turned her marker Hina Sugita and slipped in White in the 14th minute for a 10 yard strike that was hit early and around the advancing Yamashita into the net.
Yamashita had to dive to save Scott’s long range low drive 3 minutes later and Stanway stung her hands with a ferocious drive off the resulting corner as England pressed for a second.
Yokoyama had a 30 yard shot saved by Bardsley as Japan tried to make the most of a set piece but England were dangerous on the break with Daly rounding Aya Sameshima after getting on the end of a long pass from midfield only to see her shot palmed away by Yamashita.
Scott and Stanway could have doubled England’s lead early in the second half but were wasteful while Yamashita saved Duggan’s volley off Bronze’s cross just before the hour mark.
Yiuka Sugasawa fails to make England pay for defensive errors in the second half
Substitute Yiuka Sugasawa came on as a sub and was denied by an inch perfect tackle by Houghton to dispossess her as she looked for a shooting chance in the area for Japan in the 66th minute.
Sugasawa’s tame shot was saved easily by Bardsley while Mana Iwabuchi’s through ball evaded the England defence but was wasted by the newly arrived striker after she took heavy first touch and Bardsley came out to save.
England were flagging, and Neville decided to make changes – Walsh was replaced by Jade Moore, and Stanway replaced by Karen Carney for the final few minutes.
Sugasawa had a golden chance to level the scores, stretching out only to turn the ball wide of Bardsley’s goal after the England custodian risked a penalty to come off her line to put the striker off.
Nikita Parris came off the bench to replace Duggan and England killed off the game when goalscorer White ran onto Carney’s through ball to kill off the game six minutes from time with almost a carbon copy of her first goal.
Sugasawa was denied a late chance to bring the Japanese back into the game with just two minutes to go as Bardsley made a last ditch save with her boot with England under immense pressure at the end.
Scotland fall short after blowing 3-0 lead against Argentina
Scotland failed to make it out of England’s World Cup group after racking up a towering 3-0 lead against Argentina only to blow it and draw 3-3 with the Argentine equaliser coming from a retaken VAR Penalty in injury time.
Kim Little, Jen Beattie, and Erin Cuthbert gave the Scots a 3-0 win by the 69th minute only for Milagros Menendez, a Lee Alexander own goal off Florencia Bonsegundo’s long range shot and Bonsegundo’s retaken 94th minute spot kick broke the hearts of the Scots.
Bonsegundo had dramatically missed her first attempt at the penalty only for VAR to penalise goalkeeper Alexander for coming off her line.
The Argentine play maker made no mistake with her second effort and the referee ended the game early after awarding no additional time for the VAR check leaving the Scots high and dry with no time to produce one final dramatic act.
The result left both teams out of the World Cup reckoning with the Argentines on 2 just points while the Scots went home with just a point in 4th place in the group.
MATCH STATS – Japan 0, England 2
England Women: Bardsley, Bronze, Houghton, Bright, Stokes, Scott, Walsh (Moore 72), Stanway (Carney 74), Daly, White, Duggan (Parris 83)
England Women Subs not used: Telford, Earps, Greenwood, Taylor, Kirby, Williamson, McManus, Mead, Staniforth
Goals: White 14, 84
Japan Women: Yamashita, Shimizu, Kumagai, Ichise, Sameshima, Kobayashi (Miura 62), Nakajima, Sugita, Endo (Takarada 85), Yokoyama (Sugasawa 61) , Iwabuchi
Japan substitutes not used: Ikeda, Hirao, Utsugi, Sakaguchi, Minami, Hasegawa, Momiki, Miyagawa, Miyake
Att: 14,319